​DreamingOutLoud

When the world tells you you’re too sensitive or you’re “too much," it can be hard to ignore them and just continue to be yourself — especially if they're right about your being an especially sensitive person.

The world needs sensitive people.

What most people who put you down for feeling things strongly don't realize is that sensitivity is at the core of the human experience. It isn't something that requires apology.

In a world divided by hatred and judgment, a sensitive soul may well feel overwhelmed. But your soul is not what needs changing. It's what's causing the pain that needs to be addressed.

That is precisely why the world needs sensitive people. Because, regardless of how anyone tries to make you feel, strength is not the same as being incapable of feeling pain. Courage isn't a lack of fear. Strength is to feel pain and do what needs to be done anyway. Courage is to feel fear and to find your purpose in the face of it.

Sensitivity is nothing more than a heightened awareness of the world. Awareness is a prerequisite for creating positive change. Because you can see things other people may not, you can show them the way. Your sensitivity has a higher purpose.

These 11 qualities (and the ways they benefit you) are often found in highly sensitive people, though they may not be the most obvious indicators. Could you be one?Either way, remember — when we know who we are, we are empowered to imprint our love onto the world rather than letting the world imprint its way onto us.

1. You have highly attuned sensory perception.You can see and feel things others can't — literally and figuratively. This heightened sensitivity helps you make decisions to support your highest good. You are protected by an inner knowing.

2. You have certain opposing qualities.For example, you might be an innovative thinker and natural leader, powerful in conviction but also vulnerable, flexible, gentle, a healer, teacher, or helper.

3. You are naturally inclined toward a healthier lifestyle.Your diet is focused on organic foods, and you have a strong reaction to toxic substances like alcohol or processed foods. This prevents you from more serious ailments caused by toxic things like sugar.

4. You are deeply connected to nature, people, animals, and all living things.When you feel disconnected or live in a city, you experience anxiety or depression. Prioritizing access to nature creates a richer, more fulfilling, more grounded life.

5. You feel a sense of urgency, a calling to help alleviate the suffering in the world.You sense a specific mission or purpose — even though you might not necessarily know what that will look like for you yet. Because you have a sense of vocation, you will never be without purpose.

6. You have an appreciation for human transformation.This might manifest into a desire to master a skill or profession that is connected to your personal mission. Your curiosity will keep you engaged throughout all stages of life. You'll never be bored.

7. You have teeming stores of empathy and compassion.Compassion is love in action — it is the motive that pushes us into the world to help others — through something as small as a smile or an arm to lean on, or as revolutionary as the redirection of broken cultural or governmental systems.

8. You have an aversion to traditional authority and hierarchy and tend to question things like organized religion.At the same time, you naturally have a strong connection to your inner life and some form of spiritual path is important to you. These tendencies will bring you to ask questions and seek answers your whole life. Your compassion will inspire you to share your discoveries with others, making your mark on the world a powerfully positive thing.

9. Despite being well-liked and being perceived as a place for refuge or a source of support for many, you often feel alone or different.People who think differently have dealt with this sense of purposeful otherness for all time. You will always be there for others when they need you, but you will never stop seeking.

10. You are likely a combination of introvert and extrovert — an ambivert.You may feel drained by too much superficial interaction and prefer intense, one-on-one communication. This contributes to the strong bonds you have with others and is one of the reasons they feel they can come to you with their challenges — which gives you such a sense of purpose. Remember, you also need alone time to reset and center yourself in your own energy.

11. You are deeply creative and admire beautiful, intricate things. You likely have a high IQ and EQ but may also struggle with dyslexia, ADD, or ADHD.To be gifted with perception and intellect, but also struggle with certain personal challenges in these realms makes it easy for you to understand the struggles other people face — whether in having an intellect so keen it alienates people or in feeling like you are constantly struggling to keep up.

Today is the day to start harnessing your sensitivity, your empathy, by honoring these qualities in yourself. When you begin to feel overly emotional or disempowered by your sensitivity, embrace your inspirations, your passions, and your impulses.

Trust yourself, even when trusting yourself appears to be a contradiction of what the world tells you is important or is expected of you. You are the only person who can live your life. Don't let anyone else determine the choices made in how you do.​You have the unique ability to see and do things differently. By listening to your intuition, trusting your inner guide, you can begin to change the world — starting with your own life.